Quil and Claire
by Jessmartie21
Summary: This is Quil and Claire's story-how their relationship changes from the cute two year old on the beach with her best friend to two people in love. Claire is sixteen and Quil is starting to have feelings for her-but how will he get past all his reservations about dating the girl he babysat for fourteen years?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So, after the results of the poll came in, Quil and Claire had the highest number of votes, so, as promised, here is the first chapter of the story. Tell me what you think, and what you wan to happen between Quil and Claire! Also, this story is rated T right now, but if you'd like it to change to M, I might consider writing a chapter with-well, you know. Anyways, See you guys later! Review!**

Quil and Claire-Chapter 1

My chocolate brown paws pounded against the forest floor, and I was a blur amongst the trees as I brought myself closer and closer to Claire.

Ever since most of the guys had stopped phasing, I picked up a lot of the slack, running patrols much more often than I did when the pack was larger. It was pretty much just me, Embry, and the two other young wolves that hadn't imprinted yet. And Jake, of course, but he wasn't around much since the Cullens had moved and he'd gone with them.

And, because the Cullens were gone, there weren't a lot of nomads that came through this area.

There were really no vampires in the area anymore, and I guess I'd stop phasing soon enough, once Claire was a little older.

She was sixteen now; and the most beautiful being to ever inhabit this earth. I remember exactly when I realized it-exactly when I fell in love with the girl I'd known for over a decade.

It was about a year ago, when she was about fifteen and a half, and Embry had persuaded me to tear myself away from her for a weekend and go camping, just a cooler full of beer, a tent, and us. We could catch whatever else we needed.

I was skeptical, not ever having been away from her for that long, but Embry begged and guilt-tripped me into it-I kinda felt bad about ditching him for Claire all the time.

By Sunday, I was salivating to get back to my Claire, and when we finally did get back to the Rez on Monday, I ran straight to Sam and Emily's house where she was staying. She threw open the door when I knocked, and my eyes went wide as I saw her.

She was wearing a tight pink camisole and a pair of light wash denim shorts that only came town to the middle of her thighs, and I felt the sudden urge to kiss her, touch her, anything. Every brotherly feeling I had towards her vanished, and I became even more protective than normal.

I could almost feel the imprinting bond between us shifting and changing, and the pull towards her get infinitely stronger. I very nearly got the first hard-on I'd had in over ten years when she reached out to hug me hello.

And now, here I was a year later, still not able to tell her how I feel. I had convinced myself to be a gentleman, and wait for _her _to pursue _me, _but I'd never been able to tell if her feelings had changed when mine did_._ I was such a coward.

I shifted back as I got close to Sam's place, where Claire spent all her time when she wasn't with me. Emily had two boys; Matthew and Levy, and Claire loved to spend time with them.

I pulled on a pair of shorts and walked into the house, heading for the living room. I could smell that that was where she was.

Claire turned around on the couch when I walked in the room and immediately jumped up to hug me.

"Hey, Quil!" she said excitedly. "Guess what?"

"What?" I asked, smiling, and trying my hardest to focus on her eyes and not her chest, which was in a somewhat low-cut top this afternoon.

She started talking about her schoolwork, and I tried to focus, i really did, but her body was just so damn enticing! And then there was the added distraction of trying to keep Sam, who was in the room with us, from noticing I was blatantly checking out his niece. It was a good thing he couldn't read my mind anymore, or I would've been a dead man months ago.

"-and so then she told me I got a perfect score on my essay! Isn't that great?"

"That's amazing, Claire! I'm so happy for you!" I said genuinely, feeling guilty as hell for not paying attention the entire time.

"Thanks, Quil." she said. She had a couple of school books sprawled across the coffee table, and she leaned over to collect them and stand up. "I was just doing some homework while I was waiting for you to get back, I'll put these away and then we can do whatever you want," she said, before turning to head for the kitchen.

_I'm good with staring at this the rest of the day_, I thought as I turned and trained my eyes on her ass as she left the room.

_Ugh, what is wrong with me?_

I internally groaned as I slumped back onto the couch. I was going to go crazy- no, I was already crazy. How could I have these kind of disgusting thoughts about someone I cherished and respected and loved so much? I was sick.

"So, Quil, how was patrol?" Sam asked from the other side of the room.

"Just fine," I mumbled guiltily. "Pretty quiet with just me taking this shift. It's nice."

Sam nodded his understanding and looked warily at where Claire had retreated to, and then back to me. Damn it, he _had_ seen me checking her out! Shit, shit, shit!

"Quil, do you think maybe we could talk about something later?" I noticed how fast he'd switched from his 'friend' voice to his 'Claire is like a daughter to me' voice. Crap.

"About what?" I said, playing dumb. Luckily, Claire came back into the room just then and plopped back down beside me.

"So, what do you wanna do today?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! Just a quick note to tell you all that I just signed up to be a Beta reader, and am now available to Beta stories. If you're interested, please don't hesitate to contact me about helping you with your FanFictions. As you probably know, Twilight is my forte, but I can also definitely help you out with Hunger Games-themed stuff, Vampire Diaries, Harry Potter, most celebrity themed stuff, Percy Jackson, the list goes on and on. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, everybody! Hope you all are having a lot of fun this holiday season, and i hope you're making some awesome plans for New Year's! Here is the new chapter, and I'm sorry it took so long, but I took a little break to celebrate Christmas with my family (and do some boxing day shopping!) The next chapter will probably be out in a few days. Anyways, read and REVIEW please! See y'all soon!**

Quil and Claire, Chapter 2

"Quil! Stop eating all the cookie dough!"

Claire scowled at me, and swatted at my hands, which were hovering over her batch of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"Sorry! I can't help it, this is amazing!" I complained while sneaking another piece.

"I saw that!"

She turned around, and pushed me out of Emily's kitchen.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving! But for the record, you _knew _this was going to happen!"

She didn't really have the strength to push me anywhere, but I humored her, allowing her to shove me away from her latest baking experiment. She glared at me in warning, and then continued plopping circles of the dough on a cookie sheet.

"Don't you have patrol today?" She sounded angry with me, and I sighed and leaned against the far side of the kitchen counter.

"Yeah. I should probably get going."

She abandoned her cookie dough for a moment to wrap her arms around me and hug me goodbye.

"Bye, Quil!" She said cheerfully, forgetting her irritation for the moment, and I wrapped my arms around her to hug her back, sighing at the relief holding her and pressing her body against mine gave me.

She let go of me, too soon, and I left, making sure to lock the front door behind me. I still worried about her when she was left home alone, even though she wasn't a child anymore. Far from it.

I was running with Embry today; trying (and failing) to keep the Claire fantasies in check. Embry had sensed immediately how my feelings for Claire had changed, but my best friend was keeping quiet about it. Loyalty was something we understood in a pack.

_Have you decided to tell Claire yet? _

I ran beside him, and sighed before thinking, _I can't, Embry. I don't want her to get freaked out-I couldn't stand it if she rejected me, or if she refused to let me be near her. _

I hesitated for a moment before revealing more information.

_Sam wants to talk to me-I have a feeling it's about this._

Embry's eyes widened next to me, and he chuckled.

_Well, it was nice knowing you, buddy._

I rolled my eyes at him, and he pushed his shoulder into mine playfully.

_C'mon, Quil. You know that if Sam was still phasing, you'd be six feet under already. I bet you couldn't go twenty minutes without thinking about her ass. _

I growled next to him, communicating without thinking anything specific at him that I did _not _appreciate him talking about her like that.

_Sorry, sorry._

_It's cool. Are you coming back to Sam's place with me afterwards? Maybe you can help me postpone getting beat up. _

_Sure man. Sam got that new gaming system installed yet?_

I chuckled. _Yeah, Claire's already said that I'd better make sure I don't spend more time playing with it that hanging out with her. _

_I'm there. _

When we walked back to Sam's place later on, he was waiting for us (me) on the porch.

He cleared his throat, and looked at me as if he didn't want to do this, but felt he had to. "Before you go inside, I'd like to have that talk now."

I internally groaned. "Sure, Sam. What's up?" I tried to sound casual, but I could tell that I just seemed stressed and nervous.

"It's about you and my niece."

I swallowed loudly, and he continued.

"I won't pretend I haven't noticed your changed feelings for her."

I could practically feel Embry grinning behind me, and I turned quickly to glare at him before focusing back on Sam. Embry was right, I was so dead.

"She's only sixteen, Quil. I hope you understand that."

"So am I, technically."

Sam sighed. "While that may be true, you've still _existed _twice as long as she has. Just because you haven't stopped aging doesn't mean you're not more experienced than her."

"She's very mature for her age," I argued.

"Quil, I don't want Claire to feel like she is obligated to do anything she isn't ready for."

"I love her, Sam. I don't want that either."

"I know. Which is why you're _forbidden _from telling her anything about your feelings for her until she's eighteen, and better able to make decisions for herself. Got it?"

I was dumbfounded. "_Eighteen_, Sam? Do you realize what you're asking me to do? Two _years?_"

"And while you're at it, stop staring at her inappropriately."

I was desperate now, and angry with Sam for not allowing me to tell Claire how I felt, when I'd spent a year trying to work up the courage to do just that.

"You're not my Alpha anymore Sam, in case you haven't forgotten." Immediately after spitting this at him harshly, I regretted it, realizing it would only make him angrier.

"I may not be your Alpha anymore, but Claire lives under my roof, and follows my rules. So unless you'd like me to prohibit you from seeing her _at all _for the next two years, I suggest you follow my rules as well."

With that, he turned around and jogged back into his house, slamming the door behind him.

Embry put a hand on my shoulder.

"Man, I'm sorry. Maybe you could tell her without Sam finding out..?"

"You heard him, Embry. I can't do anything that would jeopardize my time with Claire. I just can't.

I walked away, back towards my small residence on the reservation, my appetite for video games and chocolate chip cookies ruined.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey readers! First of all, happy New Year! 2013! Yay! Hope everyone has a great year :). Alright, here is the new chapter, yes, I know, utterly heartwrenching, don't kill me. The NEXT chapter will be up within a week, probably, although my exams are coming up so I may be a little busy and slow with the updates in the next month. Hope you enjoy it, please REVIEW what you think! Bye!**

Quil and Claire, Chapter 3

"Quil? Are you okay?"

Claire and I were sitting on the couch in Sam's living room watching a movie. He and Emily had gone out for the day with the kids; of course, not before Sam glared at me for a full minute in unspoken warning.

Sam's threat had really gotten to me. I was terrified of not being able to see Claire anymore. I wasn't even sure if I could _survive_ it. So I'd been extra cautious around Claire today.

I distanced myself from her, almost never letting myself touch her, and I made sure I didn't hold my gaze on her for too long when Sam was around, and even when he wasn't, as agonizingly difficult as it was.

As a result, she became upset, realizing something was wrong, and it killed me to know I was making her unhappy. I could either make her unhappy, or never see her, and it was tearing me apart.

I turned towards her and shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm fine, Claire-bear."

She was quiet for a moment. "Is it me?"

"No, Claire! Of course not, don't worry about it. Please."

She frowned and turned away from me, sighing, and my heart clenched. I had to find a way around Sam's order; this was killing me.

"Is everything okay with the pack?"

I gritted my teeth against denying her the truth.

"Listen to me, Claire. Nothing's wrong, I promise."

She narrowed her eyes at me, our action flick forgotten.

"Quil, I've known you for thirteen years. I can tell when you're lying, and you know it!"

I trained my eyes on the T.V.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Claire."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"I really don't, Claire," I said, lying through my teeth.

She was practically in tears now, she was so angry.

"You didn't hug me when you got here this morning! You won't even look in my eyes right now! Quil, we're watching a movie together and you're sitting three feet away from me! I don't have an infectious terminal disease!"

"Claire, you're blowing this way out of proportion. There's nothing wrong."

"You're lying!"

I was exasperated. How was I supposed to keep lying to her when she kept insisting the truth from me? I steeled myself before replying.

"Claire, what do you want me to say?"

She got up and crossed her arms over her chest.

_Stop it. Stop thinking about her chest!_

"I'm going to get something to eat," she muttered.

She strode angrily past me, and it would have made for a perfect dramatic exit if she hadn't tripped over my foot on the way.

Instinctively, I grabbed her arm, pulling her up to stop her from falling, and half onto my lap. She turned her head up in the same moment, and our eyes locked, our faces just inches apart.

Her mouth dropped open, and her breath caught in her throat. She was staring at me with...wonder? I don't know what it was.

Her eyes…her lips…her perfect skin… right in front of me. I leaned towards her involuntarily, her eyes still stuck in a deer-in-the-headlights look.

_No. NO._

I wrenched myself away from her when I realized what I was doing, practically pushing her away from me so she was standing upright again.

"Quil…" she whispered, still staring at me.

I had to get out of here. NOW.

As quickly as I could manage, and without touching any part of her, I slipped off the couch, and walked into the small main bathroom in the next room.

I splashed cold water on my face (well, that's what they do in movies, right?) but it didn't help. I would have started banging my head on the wall if I didn't think it would scare her.

What the _hell _was wrong with me? Sam tells me to stay away from my imprint or I won't be able to see her for two _years_, and the next think I do is try to kiss her! _Way to go, idiot!_

And what was with that look she'd given me? I didn't dare think it was her starting to realize her feelings for _me_. It was one thing to force myself to keep things between us G-rated, but it was a whole other thing to try and deny _her_ something.

What would I do, I wonder, if she confessed to wanting me like I wanted her? Would I even be able to refuse her? I hated that I even had to think about refusing her something.

I tentatively stepped out of the bathroom, and turned off our movie, stalling. God, I was such a coward.

Claire was sitting silently at the kitchen table, slowly taking apart an orange.

I sat down across from her and pretended to be very interested in the vase of flowers Emily had put in the middle of the table.

"Quil?"

I swallowed. "Yes?"

"Sorry I tripped on you. Thanks for catching me."

I sighed internally in relief. "You're welcome."

"Also…I think I know what's wrong now."

I froze in my seat, and I was sure she could see the fear in my eyes.

"Quil, the only reason I would ever, ever tell you I feel this way is because I think you do too, and if the reason you're afraid is _because _you feel that way, then you really shouldn't because it's completely okay to feel that way. I mean, you've imprinted on me right, and isn't this normal?"

She looked scared as well, and she was babbling because she was so nervous. I looked into her eyes, and I saw the hope next to the fear there, and the courage it had taken to tell me what she had just told me.

I saw the strong, confident girl I'd been loving for a long time now, and I saw how much she loved me as well.

Which was why it killed me to do what I knew I had to do. I couldn't stay away from her. It would kill me, or her, or both of us. I had plenty of examples to prove that theory.

I couldn't be without her. So I had to break her heart. It was one or the other, but I think a part of me died anyways when I slowly shook my head and then walked out of her front door.

The sound of her bursting into tears was like the gigantic truck that had just run over my heart was now backing up over the broken pieces, and it was all I could do not to cry, right there in the middle of the road on my reservation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a while, I was busy over the holidays, and then I got sick, and then I had Exams to study for and write. But I'm back now, I have a week off school, and I'll try to get back with some regular updates. Here's chapter four, please read, REVIEW, and ENJOY! Lots of love!**

Quil and Claire Chapter 4

"Claire, what do you want me to say?"

What was _wrong _with him? Did he think I couldn't tell just how weird he was being?

I stood up and crossed my arms, annoyed.

"I'm going to get something to eat."

I couldn't stand to be around him for once in my life. How could he sit there, look me in the eyes, and _lie _to me?

I planned to make a perfect angry dramatic exit, but of course, I had to go and trip over Quil's huge feet as I walked past him.

I'd barely realized I'd tripped before Quil grabbed my arm to keep me from falling, causing me to topple onto his lap. I turned around to face him, and froze.

His face was _right there_, up close to mine, and I was seeing him like I hadn't ever seen him before.

How could I not have noticed how tan and smooth and beautiful his skin was, how strong and soft at the same time his arms felt around me, and how deep his eyes were, looking into mine as if I was all he ever wanted. I could see my reflection in them, and the look in my eyes mirrored what I'd just seen in his.

His lips…Oh, god, I wanted to kiss him. Kiss Quil! Why did that suddenly sound like such a good idea? My eyes widened as he leaned towards me, almost as if he couldn't help it, and my heart started beating unevenly.

"Quil…" I whispered.

He was beautiful, and he was mine. I wanted him to be mine.

My voice caressing his name must have snapped him out of his trance, because he pushed me back to my feet and practically ran out of the room.

Once again, he had moved so fast that I was a little disoriented for a minute, unsure of exactly what had happened. My body on autopilot, I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table, bewildered and astonished.

Quil was constantly in my head. Ever since I could remember he was there, protecting me, loving me. I constantly thought of him. And the image of him in my mind, the deeply rooted love I had for him, had shifted somehow when I looked into his eyes.

I knew what imprinting was, of course. I'd seen it in the pack couples, and I'd recognized it in myself and Quil. I'd always known on some level that Quil and I would end up together…you know, _together _together. But I guess I never expected it to really happen.

And now it was finally happening. I was in love with Quil.

My first instinct and thought was, _tell Quil_. As I'd grown up, I'd eventually learned I could tell Quil anything I was thinking or feeling. I wasn't embarrassed about how I was feeling. Quil felt the same way, right? I mean, he _had _tried to kiss me. He probably pulled away because he didn't know how _I _felt.

As always, Quil had perfect timing. He stepped into the kitchen right after my mini-epiphany.

"Quil?"

He swallowed nervously. "Yes?"

Why was he nervous? Now I was nervous. Was I doing the right thing? What would he say?

I chickened out and said lamely, "Sorry I tripped on you. Thanks for catching me."

Quil sighed. "You're welcome."

_Come on, you can do this. Don't be a coward. _

"Also…I think I know what's wrong now."

I was pretty sure I was blushing now, and he wasn't responding, and so I started babbling to fill the silence.

"Quil, the only reason I would ever, ever tell you I feel this way is because I think you do to, and if the reason you're afraid is _because _you feel that way, then you really shouldn't because it's completely okay to feel that way. I mean, you've imprinted on me, right, and isn't this normal?"

I waited for a response from him, reminding myself to breath. He wasn't saying anything…what was wrong? What was he thinking?

He wasn't meeting my eyes, but he looked upset. What had I done? Oh God, if he didn't respond somehow in the next three seconds I was going to have a panic attack. Three, Tw-

He slowly shook his head from side to side, still not meeting my eyes, and stood up abruptly, hesitating for a second before striding quickly out of the kitchen and out of the house.

I was frozen for a moment in shock, and then burst into tears. What had I done? What was wrong with me? He imprinted on me…He was supposed to be in love with me!

I'd just laid my last shaky, bent card on the table for him, no aces up my sleeve, and he ripped it in half. I put my head down on the table and cried quietly, and that was how Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily found me.

Uncle Sam, of course, freaked out.

"What's wrong? Where's Quil? What did he do?" Sam thundered.

"Calm down," Aunt Emily said, putting a hand on his arm. "Honey, is something wrong?" She said soothingly.

I was practically in hysterics. "I made a complete fool of myself!" I sobbed. "He doesn't want me!"

Aunt Emily wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, and over her shoulder I could see a guilt flash across Uncle Sam's face for a moment.

"It's not your fault he's a wolf and this whole stupid imprinting thing happened, Uncle Sam," I said, trying to calm myself down and reassure him at the same time.

"He…He ran away." I continued, pulling back to talk to Aunt Emily. "He just shook his head and left. He doesn't care about me at all."

"You know that's not true," Aunt Emily said. "Quil loves you very much."

"Then why isn't he _in _love with me? That's how this whole imprinting thing is supposed to work, right? Uncle Sam fell in love with you. So what's wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you honey, your relationship with Quil is different than mine and your uncle's. Maybe he just isn't ready to see you that way. He will, I promise."

"But Aunt Emily, that doesn't make sense! He's supposed to be whatever I need, right? If what I need is for him to love me in _that_ way-"

Uncle Sam cut me off before I could finish. "Emily, can I talk to you for a second?" He had a strange expression on his face that I couldn't really place.

"Sam, can it wait? Claire needs me right now," Emily told him, sounding a little annoyed that he'd interrupted us.

"It's really important, Emily." Sam pressed.

Emily sighed. "I'll be right back, honey." She kissed my forehead and then let Sam lead her outside.

He shut the door behind him, but I could still see them through the window. I watched them as I dried my eyes with a tissue Matthew had given me.

Sam looked nervous and guilty, and looked around before leaning closer to Emily and telling her something quietly. Emily's eyes widened, and she looked up at Sam in disbelief.

What had he said to her?

She was yelling at him now, and I could almost make out what she was saying, but not quite. Something about… "Your fault!"?

He looked even guiltier than before, and she smacked his arm, looking really mad. Wow. I'd never seen Aunt Emily get so mad at Uncle Sam she _hit _him before.

She grabbed his arm and dragged him back inside.

"You tell your niece what you did!" She thundered, and Sam winced, looking like a schoolboy that was in trouble.

He swallowed and looked down at the ground, every inch of his huge frame practically radiating uncomfortable.

"Uncle Sam?" I asked, confused.

"Go on!" Emily said forcefully. "Tell her!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

Sam sighed. "I _may _have…told Quil not to tell you how he really felt about you until you were eighteen."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys! Sorry for the short chapter, I just really wanted to keep the two next parts of the story separate, but the next chapter will be coming to you very soon, I've already started working on it. I know it's only half the length of what I usually post, but hopefully the major drama going on will make up for it ;) REVIEWS=love, so gimme some! Enjoy!**

Quil and Claire Chapter 5

My jaw dropped, and I _hoped _the violent thoughts I was suddenly entertaining involving my Uncle Sam were only the product of my shaky emotional state.

"_You did _WHAT?" I yelled, fresh tears pouring out of my eyes.

"Sam, how could you?" Emily scolded. "Quil and Claire's relationship is none of your business. Can't you see how much you hurt them both?"

"She's my niece!" Sam said, trying to defend himself. "I didn't want them moving too fast! Claire's too young to have a relationship like this!"

"I'm _sixteen_," I said, exasperated. "And if I wasn't ready for this relationship, then I wouldn't feel this way! That's how imprinting _works, _Sam!"

"That's _Uncle _Sam to you," he snapped. "And I know exactly how imprinting works, Claire. You're not ready. You're only a teenager, you don't understand anything about self-control."

"Is _that _what this is about? _Sex_? Don't you trust me? And if I remember correctly, _you _were a teenager when you imprinted on Emily, and you wasted no time dumping Leah and getting involved with _her."_

"Claire!" Emily said angrily. "That was completely inconsiderate and thoughtless of you to say!"

"I was older than _you_," Sam countered, ignoring my Leah comment. "And I was a lot more responsible and mature than you were as well. Sex _is_ a component of a serious committed relationship, and you _are not _ready for it."

"I'm not responsible and mature? Really? So you trust me to take care of your children, but not myself? I'm not exactly a 'slave to my base desires,' Uncle Sam. Don't pretend to have any idea of my ability to "control myself". You're not my father, and I'll decide what I am and am not ready for." I was getting really worked up now, and so was Sam. Things were coming to a climax, and it wasn't going to turn out very well.

"Once again, you aren't old enough to _understand _what you are and aren't ready for. I may not be your father, but it's my responsibility to make those decisions for you until you're old enough to make them yourself. Haven't we been understanding of your relationship with Quil? We let you stay here so you could be close to him, and while you live under _our _roof, you'll follow our rules, which we have to keep you _safe_."

Emily frowned at Sam. "Honey, we haven't really talked about this. It's not really _our_ rule that she can't date Quil."

I ignored her, glaring at Sam. "Fine. Then I'll stay at Quil's. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me staying over at his place, right Uncle Sam? Because apparently you _forced _him to lie to me, he _does _love me, or at least have romantic feelings for me, and I'm going to have a lot of fun _controlling myself _when I get there, won't I?"

Emily put her hands on her hips. "Claire! You are _not _going to live with Quil. What would your parents say?"

"It doesn't matter what they would say," Sam said to her. "Claire's not going anywhere."

"Like hell I'm not," I grumbled as I stalked off towards my room, dragged my suitcase out from under the bed, and started furiously throwing clothes into it. "And they can say whatever they want; I'm not going to stay here if I'm not allowed to have a relationship with someone I love," I called out into the hallway.

Sam appeared at the door. "You don't actually think you're getting through the front door with that thing, right?"

I slammed the suitcase shut, zipped it up, and stood up to face him. I was mad enough at that moment to say something cruel enough to stun Sam into silence for a moment so that I could slip past him, get to my car, and get to Quil. I was probably going to regret it later though. Quil was going to be so disappointed in me...

I stared at him blankly and coldly and said, "Don't worry. Quil has more _self control_ than to, oh, I don't know, give me permanent facial scarring or something."

And then I left.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I promised you a quick update, and I delivered! Gimme some love for it and REVIEW! **

Quil and Claire Chapter 6

I don't know exactly what I planned to do after running out of Sam's house. I'd been sitting at home for a few hours now, and I couldn't really go back there now. Claire probably hated me. All I want to do right now is curl up and let my need to see Claire slowly drive me insane.

"Sam and his stupid rules," I mumbled to myself. I'd hurt Claire because of him. He wasn't my Alpha, and he wasn't Claire's father. He had no right to tell me-Ugh. _Calm down, Quil,_ I told myself, _before you phase and tear your house apart. _

I took a deep breath and opened the fridge, planning to finish off the leftover pizza that was in there. Comfort food-that was exactly what I needed. Just as I was pulling the box out of the fridge, I heard a car engine running just a little ways down the street.

_Claire._

I was feeling a little pull towards the sound, and I knew it was her. What was she doing here? Not that I didn't want her here, I always wanted her, but…why did she have to make this any harder than it already was, if that was possible? Why did she even want to see me? I'd just broken her heart. The thought made me nauseous.

She must have run out of her car, because a few seconds later, she was banging on the door. Jeez. I really hope she's not coming here because she's mad at me. Then again, I'd be pretty mad if I was her. I _may _have been guilty of sending her some mixed signals.

I reluctantly opened the door, and my entire body instantly relaxed as I took in her amazing scent and saw the flush on her cheeks. She looked kind of upset, actually.

"Claire." I said, taking a moment to appreciate being in her presence. "Are you…okay?"

"No." she said abruptly, and I froze, running my eyes over her body to check that she wasn't hurt. "I had a big fight with Sam and Emily. Well, mostly Sam."

I hesitated. My first instinct was to wrap her up in my arms and comfort her, but I had a feeling physical contact wasn't a good idea if I was going to stick with Sam's orders.

She averted her gaze, looking down at her shoes. "Sam…he told me what he asked you to do," she whispered.

I swallowed thickly, and she raised her eyes again to look into mine. It was then that I noticed the suitcase beside her.

"Claire…why do you have your suitcase with you?" I asked, confused.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Quil, I did something really bad."

"What happened, Claire?" I said seriously.

"Sam told me I wasn't old enough to…be with you," she said awkwardly. "And so I left. Can I stay with you?" She asked quietly. If she was a wolf, I would have been afraid she was going to phase. Her small frame was shaking and I could tell she was scared and confused and upset.

I pulled her inside, taking her suitcase and setting it next to the door. I led her over to the sofa and sat her down next to me, and I wrapped my arms around her, like I'd been needing to do for too long. She curled into my chest, taking deep breaths.

"Oh, Claire." I sighed. "It'll be okay." I thought about what she'd said. Something didn't exactly make sense…

"Claire, how did you just leave like that? Sam just let you go?"

I could feel her tense up against me, and when I glanced down he face was red.

"I said something really mean to him," she admitted in a small voice. "I was so mad at him. He probably hates me now."

"I'm sure that's not true," I said soothingly, rubbing her back comfortingly.

"Quil, I told him he didn't have to worry about us because you weren't going to hurt me like he hurt Emily."

I winced internally at that image, and my eyes widened. "Oh, Claire, you didn't really-"

"I know, I know!" She interrupted. "I'm a horrible person." She was crying against my chest again, and I sighed.

"You're not a horrible person Claire, I promise. You were upset. Sam will understand."

"He won't ever forgive me," she mumbled.

"Claire, you wanna know what I did?" I said, in an attempt to make her feel better.

"What?" she said, sniffling.

"I turned against my best friend and participated in a plan aimed towards killing the girl he loved." I said.

"What happened with Bella and Nessie isn't the same thing," she said.

"Oh yeah? I betrayed someone I loved. Jake forgave me, didn't he?" I challenged.

"You really think Sam will?" She asked, a tiny note of hope in her voice.

"Of course I do," I said comfortingly, and stroked her hair.

She sat there cuddled up beside me with her head on my chest for a few minutes, while I stroked her hair and enjoyed the feeling of holding my beautiful imprint. After a while though, she shifted, so that her arms were around my neck, pulling herself closer to me.

The same urge that had come over me at Sam's house this morning was screaming at me to kiss her now, and Claire wasn't making it any easier by glancing from my lips to my eyes and back again, making it very clear exactly what she wanted.

Here, there was nobody to stop us. Here, there was nothing but me and Claire intertwined on this soft warm couch, where we'd sat together for years and years. Except now it was different.

She slowly leaned towards me, and I could feel how nervous she was.

"Claire," I whispered to her, our lips a fraction of an inch apart. "Claire, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." She said forcefully, and my heart swelled.

Still, I was careful. "Even with what this will mean?"

She closed her eyes, and took another deep breath. "Quil, I'm ready for this. I love you. I don't care about how old you 'technically' are, I know you feel the way I do. This is what was supposed to happen. Us."

I couldn't help myself anymore. I'd reached my limit-no, past my limit. I _wouldn't _stop myself anymore, and I brought my mouth forwards until my lips touched Claire's.

It was like the first time I phased, kissing Claire. I was insecure for the fraction of a second before we kissed, nervous, my heart beating so fast I was sure I would explode. And then a wave of power and passion swept over me, and I molded my lips against hers, taking charge.

I had some sort of animalistic need to be even closer to her than I already was, and I placed my hands on her waist to pull her body hard against mine, and her hands twined themselves into my hair.

She gasped when I pulled my lips away from hers and started kissing down her neck and under her jaw. She was _mine_-it was like I'd been starved of her and now I was getting all I wanted.

Her hands had pulled away from my hair and were running up and down my chest, and I pulled away from her neck and loosened my grip on her waist, afraid I was getting too worked up. I brought my mouth back to hers to kiss her softly again before pulling away to look at her.

Her cheeks and lips were bright red, her hair was messed up, and she was breathing heavily. She was looking up at me with wonder-and something else…_lust- _in her eyes, and I was pretty sure my expression mirrored hers.

I stared at her with new amazement, and her cheeks turned even redder. A small smile appeared on her face, and she giggled and looked away.

"What?" I said, laughing with her.

"Nothing," she said, still giggling. 'That was…fun."

"Yeah, it was alright," I teased, and she playfully smacked my chest.

"Okay, okay, I was only kidding! Jeesh."

"It was perfect." She corrected, laying her head back on my shoulder.

"Perfect," I repeated, wrapping my arms back around her, wishing silently I wouldn't ever have to let her go.

**(Isn't it weird? For once I didn't end it with a cliffie :) LOL)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys! Just got back to school for second semester, and so the updating is probably going to be about once or twice (rarely) a week. Anyways, here's the next chapter, enjoy and REVIEW!**

Quil and Claire Chapter 7

I woke up happier than I'd been in a while, which may have been due to the fact that I felt warm and safe in Quil's arms and Quil's bed.

After our first kiss on Quil's sofa, we ate leftover pizza and watched T.V. until I fell asleep, and Quil carried me to bed. Now, I curled up closer next to him and sighed against his chest.

His arms tensed tightened around me when I moved, and he opened his eyes sleepily. I looked up at him and smiled, and he bent down to kiss my forehead. "Good morning," he said cheerily.

"It's shaping up to be a pretty good one, yes." I replied.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Well, I definitely like waking up next to you." I said. "I think I'll be doing that quite a bit more."

"No problem," Quil said, sitting up and stretching. "You're welcome to use my bed whenever you want."

"Hmmm, you might regret telling me that," I said, smiling at him and slipping out of bed. "Now I won't ever leave."

"Promise?" He joked, and I leaned over to kiss him good morning. It was still so amazing and new to me, kissing Quil. His warm mouth pressing against mine, his strong hands moving over my body like they never had before…I had no idea how to deal with all the new things I was feeling, all the brand-new emotions he was stirring up inside me.

He captured my waist with his hands when I tried to pull away, pulling me back onto the bed with him. "I have to brush my teeth!" I protested, and he sighed and let me go.

"Hungry?" He asked me, slipping out of bed himself.

"What's on the menu?" I asked making my way towards the bathroom.

"How about I surprise you?" He asked.

"Sounds good," I called, and closed the bathroom door behind me, stopping to look at myself in the mirror. I _felt _like a different person, and the girl who looked back at me looked a little different than what I was used to as well.

My lips were red and slightly swollen from kissing Quil, and my skin was flushed from sleeping next to his 108-degree body. My hair was wild, tangled from Quil's hands running through it and stroking it, and my clothes, the one's I'd left Sam's house in yesterday, were wrinkled.

What happened yesterday seemed like it had been ages ago, but I still winced as the memories of what I'd done ran through my mind. I guess I'd have to face Sam sometime, but as far as I was concerned, it could wait a little while.

_Stop thinking about Sam,_ I told myself. _You're with Quil. Be happy. _

When I emerged from the washroom, showered and straightened out, I found Quil in the kitchen, leaning over a frying pan full of bacon that was on the stove.

"You're making bacon?" I asked, suddenly starving.

"Only the best for my imprint," he said, shooting me a quick smile. "Could you check on the waffles?"

I put myself to work helping Quil out in the kitchen, and we were almost finished when Embry jogged through the door, and stopped short when he saw me.

"Hey, Qui-Claire?"

"Hey, Embry," I said, waving at him from across the room.

He ignored me, looking to Quil for an explanation. "Claire's here?" He said stupidly.

Quil nodded. "She's gonna stay over here for a little while."

Embry's eyes widened. "Wait-did she…did you two…"

My face turned red, and Quil shot Embry an annoyed look. "Claire and Sam aren't exactly on good terms right now. That's all."

"Oh, really?" Embry said, smiling widely. "So Claire stayed the night, huh?"

"Embry!" I said in surprise, my mouth dropping open and my face turning even redder than before.

"So something _did _happen," Embry concluded, smiling even wider.

"Embry," Quil said, a silent warning in his voice.

"What?" He said innocently. "It's not like I'm not going to see it all later in your head."

"Oh my god," I said. My face was surely as red as a tomato by now, and I turned to leave the kitchen, planning to hide out in Quil's bedroom until Embry left. Quil's arm snared around my waist to keep me where I was, and he glared across the room at Embry.

"You were here first. _He's _the one that needs to leave."

"Oh, sorry. You two probably want some privacy." Embry teased, and I buried my head in Quil's shoulder in embarrassment.

"Embry," Quil growled at him. "Stop it."

Embry sobered up immediately, sensing the threat in Quil's voice, and sat down at the kitchen table, abandoning his hunt for the juicy details of our night together. Although I don't think he'd consider our make-out session to be very scandalous.

I warily sat down next to him with my breakfast, and ate quietly, praying for the temperature of my face to decrease. Quil continued glaring at Embry, until he rolled his eyes, saying, "Sorry." He sounded pretty sincere to me, and he even looked a little bit guilty, as if he felt bad for harassing us.

"It's okay," I said quietly. "Quil and I _are_… together now, if that's what you wanted to know," I confessed.

Embry smiled. "Yeah, I kinda figured. Sam okay?"

"I don't think so," I admitted. "We had a big fight about it."

"He'll come around," Embry said comfortingly. "Sam just doesn't want to admit to himself that you're grown up and he's an old man," he joked.

I laughed. "I think he's maybe just used to being overprotective," I explained. "He doesn't exactly trust Quil."

"Well, you know our Quil," Embry said, smiling. "Bad to the bone." Quil rolled his eyes, and laced his fingers through mine under the table.

"So," Embry said, turning to Quil. "We gonna get going, or what?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "Going where?"

"We have patrol today," Quil explained.

"Don't worry," Embry said, an impish smile on his face. "We'll be back in a few hours, then you guys can get back to doing…. whatever you were doing last night."

Quil reached across the table to smack him, but Embry dodged out of the way and got up quickly to leave, calling from the front door, "I'll meet you by the beach!"

Quil glared at the door for a moment after Embry had left, and then turned to me. "Sorry about him," he said apologetically.

"It's alright," I said, sighing. "It's Embry, it's not like I expected anything different."

He kissed my forehead, and I got out of my seat to sit on his lap, and his arms circled around me instantly. "Do you really have to go?" I said, frowning.

"I do," he said. "I don't want to leave you here by yourself, but…"

I sighed. "No, it's okay. I have to unpack anyways. But we'll probably have to discuss…this…when you get back."

"This?" he said, raising one eyebrow.

"Us," I clarified.

"What about us?" He asked.

"I thought you had to go," I said, smiling.

"Embry can manage by himself for a half hour," he said dismissively. "What about us would you like to talk about?"

"Well, it kind of has to do with something Sam implied," I explained.

"What did Sam imply?" Quil asked.

"I think that one of his main problems is that he thinks we won't be able to control ourselves." I explained.

"Control ourselves?" He said, still confused.

I sighed. I really didn't want to spell it out for him. I wasn't embarrassed about it; if I couldn't talk to Quil about this stuff, I couldn't talk to anyone. He was my best friend way before he was my…well, whatever we were. I just didn't want him to be uncomfortable.

"Sex, Quil. He doesn't think we'll be able to keep from jumping each other's bones."

"Oh." Quil said, his face blank. "Oh. Well, I can see where he's coming from."

"Quil, I know Sam doesn't trust us, but I'm not ready for that yet," I admitted.

"Of course not," Quil agreed. "It's a big step. I don't want us to do anything you'll regret or have second thoughts about."

"Could you maybe talk to Sam?" I asked. "Convince him that this isn't a bad choice? You've known him longer than I have, Quil, and you understand him better than I do."

"Sure. Can't guarantee I'll come back in one piece, though. Especially when i start talking to him about the sex thing. I'll bet he's still pretty upset about you staying here."

"Don't talk like that," I said, frowning. "He won't hurt you."

"I'll give it a shot," he said, then looked towards the door.

"You've got to go now, don't you?" I asked sadly.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "I'll be back before you know it." He bent down to kiss me quickly, and then picked me up off his lap and set me on the empty chair so he could slip out the front door after Embry.

I spotted my suitcase over by the door where I'd left it yesterday, and got to work dragging it into Quil's small room. I could tell it was going to be a long couple of hours without him.

**P.S. Tell me how Claire and Sam's conversation in the next chapter (it's gonna happen!) should go, or how you want it to end (is she forgiven?). Reviews make me upload faster, so hit that button and tell me what you think! **

**P.S.S. OMG! Another non-cliffie! I can't decide if it's a good or bad habit...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! So I know this is a super-short chapter, but I just wanted to keep Quil's and Claire's POV's separate. So, in this chapter, Quil talks to Sam in _his_ POV, the next short-ish chapter will be in _Claire's_ POV talking to Sam at Quil's place. That one will be up in a day or two. Anyways, enjoy, and review! See ya soon! **

Quil and Claire-Chapter 8

Why was I doing this? I knew exactly what would happen-Sam would blow up at me and I'd have to avoid him for the next four to six months, and also face some ultimatum about Claire, who would cry when I told her. Sounds great, right?

I'd finished patrol with Embry, and was walking towards Sam's house. Claire had asked me to, and so here I was. It was that simple.

I stopped just outside the front door, hesitating. I _could _just tell Claire I'd talked to Sam, and that he'd been fine. Would I be able to lie to her if it made her happy?

My choice was made for me when the door flew open and Sam's kids ran out of it, leaving Sam and I facing each other in the doorway.

_Play it cool,_ I reminded myself, and offered up a friendly, "Hey, Sam."

He glared at me, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is Claire okay?" He asked gruffly.

"She's fine," I reassured him. "She's at my place right now with Embry." I'd sent him back there to check on her after our patrol.

"You went back on our deal." He accused me.

Okay, so the pleasantries were over. "You made me hurt Claire."

"She would have gotten over it," he threw back at me.

"I wouldn't have," I said coolly, not batting an eye. "I _hurt _her, Sam."

He clenched his teeth. "That rule was to protect her."

"Like I said before, she's perfectly fine," I shot back, getting increasingly angrier by the second.

"So you're together now? She spent the night with you, didn't she?" His fists, like his jaw, were clenched tightly, and the tension between us was almost tangible.

I calmed down a little bit at this. Maybe Sam would ease up if he knew we hadn't done anything. Well, not much of anything anyways.

"I kissed her," I admitted. "That's all."

"That's all?" Sam asked, doubt in his voice.

"Sam, I love her. I have way more respect for her than to sleep with her just to get back at you, or just because I want to. Claire wanted me to talk to you about that. She wants me to convince you that this isn't a bad decision for us."

"You want me to just be okay with the fact that she's living with you now?" He said, the hard edge back in his voice once again.

"Sam, yesterday she showed up at my door crying, and asked me if she could stay. I wasn't going to turn her away."

Sam's eyes narrowed once again. "But she wants to stay, doesn't she? Permanently."

I sighed. "I don't know. But I think that's what Claire wants. She's…not really a 'take it slow' kind of person; you know that."

Sam swore under his breath and ran a hand through his hair wearily. "You're sure she's alright?" he asked weakly.

"Sam, you know better than almost anyone that I can take care of her. Of course she's alright. She's perfectly fine."

"Did she say anything else?" He asked.

I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, she told me what she said to you."

He tensed up again, and his face coloured slightly.

"She's really upset about it," I explained. Claire wouldn't have wanted me to talk to Sam about this, but I had to try to patch things up. "She didn't mean what she said, and she's scared because she thinks you'll never forgive her."

"She _told _you?" he said, shocked.

"She tells me everything," I said, smiling a little. "I know what she said was horrible, but she's your niece. You have to forgive her. Please, Sam."

He sighed, looking away from me. "Of course I forgive her. It's not like what she said to me wasn't true, and it's not like I didn't deserve it. I'd like to talk to her about this, though. I'm still worried about her getting involved with you like this," he said, glaring at me for a moment again.

"Of course," I said, relieved. "I'm heading back now, if you'd like to come with me," I offered.

"Sure," he said. "I'll just let Emily know."

**Any plot line suggestions? Review 'em!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a LONG time- I've had a pretty busy semester of school and had NO time to write at all. But, it's the summertime (yay!) and I have a lot more free time on my hands now. I'm hoping to finish the Quil and Claire story AND resume Jake and Nessie by the end of the summer. The next chapter will be up within the next two days (probably tomorrow), and regular updates will be posted after that, once or twice weekly. Love you all, and keep reviewing and favoriting and following my stories, and all that other lovely stuff you do :). You guys rock! **

**See you soon,**

**Jess**


	11. Quil and Claire Chapter 10

**Hey everyone! I got it finished, just like I promised. Leave a review, because they keep me updating faster! **

Quil and Claire Chapter 10

_Claire's POV_

_Jeez, math homework, go easy on me will you? _I thought to myself as I sat at Quil's kitchen table, trying to isolate a variable in my complicated equation.

It was a good distraction, and I _did _need to get it done for tomorrow. In any case, it was way better than sitting around imagining the conversation I'd sent Quil to have with Sam an hour ago.

"_Don't freak out, Sam, it's not like we're living together or anything. Oh, wait, we are."_

"_I'm going to kill you now, and then take Claire across the country so you never get your hands anywhere near her, ever."_

Yes, that would be lovely. It sounds a bit strange, I'll admit, me living with Quil. And I know it gives Sam a heart attack to think about it. But the effect the imprinting has on our relationship is so _huge _it just takes all the cards off the table.

Sam's worried because of the impact it will have on our physical relationship. It would be almost impossible for Quil to do anything I didn't want him to do, though. And the gap in our ages doesn't really matter either…because technically, we're the same age.

Quil hasn't aged a day since he first phased at sixteen, even though he's older mentally, and I'm pretty mature for my age, having to grow up in what most would consider a fantasy world.

I sighed and closed the thick textbook, deciding to maybe take another crack at it tonight. It wasn't like I was going to get much done anyways when I was so anxious for Quil to get home. I really wanted to know how his conversation with Sam went.

As much as I could say I didn't care, or throw hurtful comments at Sam, I really did love my uncle, and his unhappiness with my choices was really stressing me out. It would mean a lot to have his approval. Sam was like a second father to me, and I didn't want this to hurt our relationship, or his friendship with Quil.

The door opened suddenly, making me jump and nearly knock my books off the table. I smiled when I saw Quil, but my expression quickly changed to surprise when I saw Sam right behind him. My face turned pink, and I stared down at my feet, feeling Sam's eyes burning a hole in my forehead.

"You ok?" Quil asked tentatively. He must have known I would react this way. Bringing Sam here to yell at me was _not _part of the plan.

"I'm fine," I mumbled back. "Hi Sam."

"Hey, Claire." His voice sounded surprisingly gentle, and when I looked up, he didn't look mad, just worried and upset.

"I'm sorry I left," I blurted out. "and for what I said to you. I feel really bad, and I didn't mean it at all Sam, I promise." I was fighting back tears, and Quil knew it, because he tensed up and looked nervously between Sam and I.

Sam hesitated, but stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around me. I let myself relax against him, and I hugged him back tightly.

"It's alright," He said, sighing. "I understand. Just, next time you run away from me, will you call me at least? I was worried sick about you."

I laughed, and pulled away from Sam slightly. "I will. Besides, I was with Quil."

"That's _exactly _what I was worried about," he muttered, looking me up and down. "You sure you're all right?"

"Just fine," I assured him, blushing slightly. He pulled away from me completely to sit down at the small kitchen table, pulling me down to sit beside him.

"Claire, are you sure this is what you want? To live with Quil? I know you're mature for your age, honey, but sixteen is still very young." He looked me in the eyes very seriously when he said this, and I immediately felt guilty for worrying him so much. Sam loved me like a daughter, and I knew I'd worry just as much as he did if it were my kid.

Quil crossed his arms over his chest in the kitchen, nodding encouragingly when I looked over at him to see his response to what Sam had said.

"I know that I'm young," I said gently, "But this is what I really want, Sam. I know I'm never going to want anything like I want to be with Quil, and I've known him my whole life. We spend every minute we can together anyways, and us living together isn't going to put pressure on me to make our relationship move any faster than it should. He loves me, and I know we can make this work for us and be responsible enough to make decisions about what we're doing."

Sam looked down at the table, and I could feel Quil smiling behind me.

"I get it." He said, looking up and glancing at Quil before fixing his gaze on me. "I don't like it, but I get it." He sighed. "You can live with Quil, as long as you promise to come by and visit a lot. Emily's missing you already, and she told me to let you know that you can come straight back if you're ever feeling unsure about this."

I doubted that would happen, but I appreciated the thought. "Thanks Sam," I said, smiling.

"You're welcome, kid." He looked up at Quil. "I've gotta go. You'll take care of her?"

Quil smirked. "I always have."

Sam rolled his eyes, but got up, hugging me tightly again and giving one last warning look at Quil before leaving the house.

It was quite for a moment afterwards, until I realized I was holding my breath and exhaled loudly. Quil laughed. "Relieved?" he asked, walking over to sit beside me.

"I thought he was going to yell at me for sure," I said honestly. "I was afraid he'd pack my suitcase and drag me back."

"Sam understands. It's just because you're his niece. He gets imprinting; he's had it pretty much the worst out of all of us in that department, except for maybe Jake. When you were little, and the pack was only the six of us, he'd stress and worry about Leah and Emily and the whole mess all the time. It was hell being in his head."

I got up off my chair to sit in Quil's lap, and he wrapped his arms around me as I snuggled into the warmth of his chest. "The others probably think _you _had it the worst," I said in a small voice. "You had to wait for me to grow up and everything."

"Some of them thought that in the beginning," Quil said, "But I never saw it that way. I knew that one day you were going to grow up, and we'd be together, but I wasn't impatient for you to get older. I'm glad that I got to watch you grow up. It's made us so close, Claire. I'll always value being your best friend more than your boyfriend, or even your husband one day."

He ran his fingers absentmindedly through my long hair, and I reached up to pull his mouth to mine. I had only been in the habit of kissing Quil for twenty-four hours, but I could already feel myself becoming addicted to the thrill of being so close to him like this, and the playing-with-fire feeling I got when I found myself wanting more was incredibly sexy.

I pulled him closer to me, sliding my hands from his chest to around his neck to steady myself. He pressed me closer to him in response, using the arms already wrapped around my waist to close the space between our bodies, keeping his hands on the small of my back, slipped just underneath the hem of my t-shirt.

My tongue slipped out of my mouth to meet his, and he moaned into the kiss, moving his hands down to wrap my legs around his waist and squeeze my hips. His lips moved from my mouth to kiss gently down the length of my neck when I jerked upwards at the sound of a sharp rapping on the door.

He stopped, his lips hovering just above my cleavage, and stood up to turn and face the door while I quickly tried to fix my clothes, pulling my shirt down and running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to smooth it down.

"Embry." Quil growled. "What do you want?"

"Do I need a reason to drop in on my best friend and his new roommate?" Embry asked innocently, stepping into the house. His hair was slightly wet from the rain, and he was shirtless, probably just coming from a mid-day run in the woods.

"Yes." Quil replied, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you _busy_?" Embry asked, smirking. He knew exactly what we were doing; you could see the entire kitchen from the front glass door.

"Embry, I'm going to hit you." Quil growled.

"Sure you are," he said, still smirking.

"Embry, what are you doing here?" I asked, annoyed with his teasing.

"There's a game on, bro. Also, I thought it might be fun to spend some quality time interrupting your quality time. By the way, what's in your fridge?" he asked, going into the kitchen and grabbing a plate from the cupboard.

Quil groaned. "I just went grocery shopping. He'll never leave." I patted his arm comfortingly and sighed. "He has to leave sometime. And when he does, we'll keep the door locked."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone J I just realized that the last chapter was posted as chapter 10, when really it should have been chapter nine. Oops! Here's the real chapter 10. Also, I've done these past two chapters in Claire's POV, tell me if you want me to write more in hers or in Quil's-which one do you like better? Also, I know there isn't much plot in this chapter, but I just wanted one more fun little make-out chapter before I got to the heavy stuff. WARNING: this might get a little steamy. Keep reviewing!**

Quil and Claire-Chapter 10

School had been really stressing me out since I started living with Quil. Maybe I was just imagining it, but it seemed as if I had more work to do these past few days, and it didn't help that I was so tempted all the time to push my homework aside and make out with Quil all day.

Even when I could control myself and put my books in front of me, Quil was so damn _distracting. _It's bad enough that he's always half naked, wearing nothing but cut-off denim shorts, but on top of that, he's always doing the imprint-staring thing.

Even after all these years, I've never really gotten used to that. I used to think it was funny, but now, whenever I feel his eyes on me, all it gets me is _turned on. _How is anyone supposed to concentrate with that kind of distraction in the room?

Now, I comforted myself with the fact that it was ten thirty, and pretty soon it would be late enough that I would be justified in putting everything away and dragging Quil off to bed with me.

We hadn't really gotten any farther physically since Sunday night, when Embry walked in on us making out at the kitchen table. When we kiss, Quil makes sure to keep his hands where I can see them at all times. I know he's worried about things going too far too quickly, but keeping it vanilla is driving me crazy.

Thinking that always gets me daydreaming about us, and fantasizing about exactly the types of things Quil would probably categorize as "going too far." I sighed. When this started up, I could never get focused again. I slid my books back into my bag and put them by the front door, ready for school tomorrow, and walked over to the living room, where Quil was half-asleep on the couch.

He opened his eyes when I sat down next to him, and took my hand in one of his, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Finished with the homework?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. His voice sounded tired and thick with sleep, and I felt a tinge of guilt for waking him.

"For the most part," I said. "I think I'm going to hit the sack…are you going to join me?"

He raised his eyebrows at me, and I offered him a small smile.

"Claire…"

"Oh, calm down." I said, rolling my eyes. "I didn't mean it like that."

He bit his lip. "Are you okay, Claire?"

"I'm fine," I assured him. "I just miss you during the day… and being away from you makes me crazy."

"Oh really?"

He smirked at me, and I blushed, playfully shoving his shoulder. "Never mind." I mumbled, getting up off the couch.

Before I could walk away, he grabbed my arm and tugged me down, turning us so that I was lying on the couch and he was on top of me. His heat was soaking through every inch of my skin, and his lips were so close to mine that my heartbeat quickened in anticipation of what I was sure he would do next.

He held himself carefully above me, so I didn't feel too much pressure, and put his mouth next to my ear. "I go crazy too, Claire." he admitted. "At work…on patrol… all I can think about is how much I want to be with you instead, just like this. How much I want to kiss you and touch you, and hold you."

Well, that had escalated quickly. "So do it." I challenged, my voice strained.

He growled softly into my ear and suddenly we were vertical. A moment later, we were in his bedroom, and he set me gently on the bed, pulling himself back on top of me and bringing his mouth to mine. He was wide awake now, and moving his mouth on mine aggressively, passionately.

"_Quil_," I panted, when he tore his mouth away from mine to kiss beneath my jaw. I didn't want him to stop; but I needed to make sure we were on the same page before this want any further. "I don't want us to-"

"I know," he interrupted, his voice gentle. He brought his eyes up to meet mine, giving me a look that I knew well. A look that said 'I've got you; you're okay. I'm here, Claire.' It made me feel safe and loved and it made my stomach flutter. "We won't go that far tonight Claire, I promise."

I nodded, reassured, and he brought his mouth back to mine, caressing my tongue with his and bringing a hand up to cup my face, ensuring his complete control of the kiss. His mouth and hands urged me to respond, and my own hands wound around his back, pressing my fingers into the taught muscle.

He kissed me like this for a little while, until my hair was wild and my lips were red from the pressure of his own lips against them, and I relaxed into the bliss, pulling myself closer so that my legs were now wrapped around his waist.

His other hand, which was previously at my own waist, was now tugging the hem of my shirt up and over my head, interrupting our kiss for a brief moment. He hesitated, and then his lips slowed on mine before he began working them down my neck as he'd done a few days ago, just before Embry interrupted us. He looked up at me, his eyes dark.

"You're okay?" his voice was raspy and sexy and the heat of his breath on my chest made me shiver. He looked worried, but his hands were strong on me and I was too far gone to stop him now. "Yes," I said quickly, begging him silently to keep going. He smiled at me before bringing his mouth down to kiss along the line of my bra, his hands coming up to palm them gently through the fabric.

I leaned my head back, moaning slightly, and reached down to tug at the hem of his shorts, instinct and want taking over.

He stopped suddenly, and I groaned. "Claire," he said seriously.

"What?" I whined.

"I think we need to stop now," he replied in a low voice. I couldn't feel his hands on me anymore, and when I opened my eyes, he was lying beside me again.

"Quil," I groaned. "That's mean." He had more self-control that I thought.

_More than_ _you, _a small voice in the back of my head reminded me. My face coloured slightly, and I suddenly wished Quil would quit looking at me right now.

He sighed and pulled me close to him so that my head was against his chest and his hands were around me, rubbing my back slowly.

I rolled my eyes, but kicked my shorts off in one final act of rebellion and snuggled into him, wearing only my underwear, letting myself fall asleep against him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys **** sorry it took so long to update with the last chapter-I'm making it up to you by updating this one at the same time. My Internet's screwed up, so it's difficult to get an opportunity to update. It should be fixed soon, so I'll be back to the regular updates then. Enjoy, and review!**

Quil and Claire-Chapter 11

When I woke up the morning after our intense make-out session on Quil's bed, I was cold. Well, not cold exactly, but less warm than usual. I frowned, and lazily turned slightly to the side, my hand groping at the empty sheets where Quil's body usually was.

When I felt nothing but his pillow, I bolted upright, no longer tired. I looked around, but didn't see him anywhere. "Quil?" I shouted, waiting expectantly for him to call back from the bathroom maybe, or the kitchen.

When I heard nothing, I jumped out of bed, and was about to head for the kitchen when I remembered that I was wearing nothing but a purple bra and panty set. I blushed as I got dressed, recalling the specifics of what had happened last night.

"He better have left a note or something," I mumbled to myself, wandering into the kitchen. The small island that was in the middle of the room was empty, as well as the table, and none of Quil's fruit-shaped fridge magnets was holding a note to the refrigerator. Frowning once again, I ventured into the living room. The coffee table was void of anything as well.

_At this point, I would settle for a note written in lipstick on the mirror,_ I thought as I brushed my teeth. Where could he be? He wasn't scheduled to patrol this afternoon, the fridge was in no need of groceries, and he hadn't said anything about having plans this morning.

I called Emily, what I always did when I had a problem. Maybe Sam knew where Quil was; even after he stopped phasing and stepped down as Alpha he still watched over everybody and was involved in pack decisions. If anyone knew where Quil was, it would be him.

"Emily," I said nervously when she picked up the phone. "It's me."

"Claire!" she said happily. "Hi, honey. Good morning. How are you?" Her voice, always there right next to Quil's whenever I was in need of a hug or someone to talk to, comforted me, and I relaxed slightly.

"Emily, do you know where Quil is? He isn't home this morning, and it's starting to worry me."

"Well, did he leave a note?" Emily asked gently.

"I looked. I didn't find one." If Quil had left one for me, it would be out in the open, someplace obvious. There was clearly no note.

"I don't know where he could be, honey. I'm sure he's just out on an early run with Embry or something. He'll be back soon, don't worry."

When I dejectedly said goodbye to Emily and hung up, I sighed. This was exactly why I had been trying to convince Quil to buy a cellphone for the past five years. For the next thirty minutes, I paced the kitchen, wracking my brain for anything he might have said about not being here this morning.

When the screen door creaked, I whipped my head around, expecting maybe to see Emily coming to check on me. Thinking back, I admit that I sounded slightly hysterical.

Instead, I saw Quil, whistling and locking the door behind him.

"_Where the hell have you BEEN?" _I screeched at him.

He jumped, and then turned to me, his eyes wide. "Claire. Hi." He eyed me, looking confused as to why I was waving my arms and screaming at him, my face red.

"Hi? That's all you have to say? Really?"

"What?" he said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Do you know I almost had a heart attack when I woke up and you weren't there?" I wasn't screaming anymore, but I was still mad. I would never have left the house before Quil woke up without telling him where I was going so that he wouldn't think I had just mysteriously disappeared.

"I went to get _milk_," he said, arching an eyebrow. "We were out."

"You couldn't have woken me up? Or left a note? For God's sake, Quil, if you had woken up this morning and I wasn't there, you would have called the FBI!"

He rolled his eyes, and I narrowed my eyes at him. How could he not be taking this seriously? "Claire, calm down. You don't have to worry about me. Werewolf, remember?"

"Just because you're a werewolf doesn't mean you're indestructible, and that I don't worry about you." I said sharply.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Come here." He rolled his eyes again, opening his arms and putting the carton of two percent down on the kitchen table.

"I've got to get to school," I growled, brushing past him and opening the door.

"Do you want me to drive you?" He called. Instead of answering, I slammed the car door behind me and peeled out of the driveway, grumbling to myself.

After school, I waited outside the front doors for a minute before remembering I'd driven myself this morning. I headed towards the car, hoping guiltily that Quil hadn't needed it for anything today. He _was_ fairly new to the whole 'telling-somebody-where-you're-going-and-when-you' ll-be-back' thing. Maybe I'd been a little hard on him.

I sighed and climbed into the car. _Maybe I'll bake something for him after dinner, _I thought, contemplating my options as I pulled out of the school parking lot.

The drive home was fast, five minutes at most, and sometimes when the weather was nice I liked to walk. It had brightened up quite a bit since this morning, and if I hadn't taken the car, Quil might have picked me up on foot today.

I looked over at the beach as I drove by, expecting to see scads of people crowding its surface, taking advantage of a warm day. I was surprised to see that that wasn't the case at all; except for a couple of tourists and some little kids, the beach was almost deserted.

_Is there something going on today that I forgot about? _I thought. _"I'll ask Quil. He'll know why the beach is empty…this is extremely weird."_

I pulled into Quil's driveway and got out of the car, locking it behind me and walking up to the front door. The house, like the beach, seemed strangely empty; usually I could hear Quil stomping around in there or watching T.V. or making himself something to eat.

I opened the door, expecting to find him taking a nap on the couch or something, which would explain the silence, but he wasn't there. The bathroom? "Quil!" I called, my voice echoing through the house. Well, this was familiar.

"For crap's sake, _really?" _I growled, tossing my backpack on the couch. "He better have fucking left a note this time," I muttered.

Repeating my actions this morning, I scoured the living room, kitchen counter, and kitchen table, as well as Quil's room, for any sign of a note.

I stalked to my room after finding none, and dug through my purse for my cellphone, when I caught a flash of neon yellow out of the corner of my eye.

Sitting on my bedspread was a yellow post-it note, a black pen thrown beside it, as if Quil hadn't had time to put it away before he left. Two words were scribbled on the small square of paper.

Call Emily

I could feel my heartbeat quicken as I grabbed my cell and dialed Emily's number. What if someone had been hurt? What if _Quil _had been hurt, and they hadn't been able to reach me at school?

_Pick up, pick up, pick up _I silently begged as Emily's cellphone rang once, twice, and then three times.

"Hello?" She sounded tense, and my mental freak-out went full-blown panic mode.

"Emily? It's me. What's going on? Quil's not here, and it's not like this morning because he left me a note and it told me to call you and just please, please Emily, tell me he's okay."

"He's okay." She said automatically, but her voice was still tense, and not exactly reassuring.

"Where is he?" I demanded, tears starting to well up in my eyes.

"There was a trail," she said quickly, nervously. "Quil and Embry followed it, because it was fairly fresh, and called for backup. Last they checked in with Sam, they'd chased it nearly to the Canadian border."

"The _Canadian border?_" I nearly yelled. "Why? Why wouldn't they just chase it off the reservation?"

"It killed a hiker," she said quietly. "They're not willing to let it get away. Nothing's ever given them this much of a chase before. They said they might not be back for a little while."

Quil had left me to chase vampires before. Many times when we were together we would hear the telltale sound of a wolf howl, and he would whip his head towards the woods, before hurrying me back home and making me promise not to play outside until he got back.

Maybe it was because of how far away he was, or that this was the first time he'd hunted with the pack since we got together, but I felt sick to my stomach. I let the phone slide from my hands and hugged the post it note to my chest, trying to believe Quil would come back soon.


End file.
